Yesterday I performed a fitness assessment on a 38-year-old female Air Traffic Controller who appeared healthy, but complained of chronic neck pain when doing any form of strength training. Perhaps this was one reason she had an aversion to working out with weights. Her primary mode of fitness was only Yoga which didn’t resolve her neck pain or the 35% body fat she was carrying.

Chronic neck pain is a condition commonly seen in office workers. Primarily women. Researchers have repeatedly shown through medical imaging that the vertebrae between C3 and C7 in women are significantly smaller than male vertebrae. Female necks are also significantly weaker by 32% in flexion and extension compared to men. These two finding explain the cause and effect of female neck related disorders such as chronic neck pain and whiplash.

So whats the solution you wonder? In analyzing the spine biometrics from Thoracic to cervical vertebrae there was an obvious 20 degree forward shift of the head from the base of C7. In addition both shoulders were rounded forward by 30 degrees which is very suggestive of Upper Cross Syndrome and Trapezius Myalgia.

An exercise prescription involving shoulder abduction, shoulder elevation and chin tucks will be the starting point for correcting this malalignment.

Danish, German and American studies have all shown great improvement in function and reduction of neck pain in females by doing 5 specific exercises.

One-Arm Dumbbell Row or Raw on Stability Fitness Ball Exercise.Theraband Adduction to elcit shoulder blade protractionReverse Dumbell Fly to stimulate protraction of the Rhomboid Trapezius and Rear deltoid. Perfect form and a cobra raise on the finish is of vital importance.Shoulder Shrugs with light dumbells to stimulate Trapezius strength and stability. A linear / neutral cervical spine is important to stimulate the source of weakness.Duraband upright rows. Place the resistance band under your heels. Stand up straight with your feet slightly apart. (A) Bend your elbows out to your sides as you pull the cables up toward your chest. (B) This exercise with help improve trapezius strength.

After explaining to her the suggested Corrective Exercise prescription, she committed to 1 month of Personal training and Corrective Exercise prescription. We will begin corrective exercise in the next few days and I will keep you posted on her results after the first few sessions. My prediction is full pain management and a corrected cervical spine by the end of the month.

Rivak Hoffman is a nationally certified fitness professional, medical exercise specialist, fitness writer and researcher committed to uncovering the myths in the fitness industry. He is the founder of Rxfitnesspro.com of Southern California and EverybitfitAZ in Mesa AZ.

EPOC or Afterburner affect is the new sexy word promoted on personal trainer websites, boot camps and sales jargon behind Orangetheory franchises around the county. The claim that a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) style of workout will have an enormous impact on how you burn calories by claiming you will burn an additional 36% extra calories for the next 38 hours. Where do I sign up? Hmmm perhaps snake oil?

So in other words the claim is that you can do a 20-30 minute Crossfit / Orangetheory style workout at ultra high intensity and burn more calories than the guy who’s doing a 60 minute spin class? Give me a break! But ill let you decipher the research.

I think its important to look carefully at the research and do some easy calculations before drawing a conclusion. There have been a plethora of studies validating what your about to learn. If your still in doubt dig into it on your own. For the purpose of this post I will rehash only the easy to understand studies.

80 Minute treadmill study:

Group 1 A group of people walked the treadmill at 25% of their VO2 Max. (25% VO2 max is equivalent to a casual walk. A person can still workout at talk.

Group 2. Another group of people and had the do a light jog on the treadmill at 50% VO2 max. This group barely broke a sweat. talking becomes slightly fragmented

Group 3. Another group of people ran the treadmill at a vigorous pace representing 75% of VO2 max. This group really worked hard. Talking and running is now difficult.

Without surprise Group 3 saw the greatest EPOC (Afterburn Effect) They burned and average of 150 calories AFTER exercise was concluded. Nice! The research of Afterburn is validated, but what about the number of calories burned? Read on.

The ancillary study calculated that group 3 VO2 Max levels remained elevated by 5% for 24 hours after finishing the 80 minute run.

Now the Science and Numbers:

Consider the average Joe or Jane has an average RMR (resting metabolic rate ) of 70 calories per hour. So take 70 calories X 24 hours = 1680 calories naturally expended per day without exercise.

Now multiply 5% elevation in Afterburner the ancillary study showed to the average RMR of 1680 and your net result is 84 calories… So you burned and additional 84 calories over a 24 hour period by busting your ass running on a treadmill! You got to ask yourself !

Other studies have shown far smaller percentages in afterburner effect. Other studies have shown that exercising at high levels of VO2 max causes individuals to overeat simple carbohydrates in order to replenish sugar glycogen stores.

In Conclusion:

The Afterburn phenomena is the real thing, however its value is so ever MINISCULE and OVERHYPED. Your best bet would be to simply forget about it. Dont use exercise as an excuse to over eat and negate calories and do your workouts in moderation without hitting the “puke zone” and please don’t starve your self into a metabolic deficit by under eating.

Rivak Hoffman is a nationally certified fitness professional, fitness writer and researcher committed to uncovering the myths in the fitness industry. He is the founder of Rxfitnesspro.com of Southern California and EverybitfitAZ in Mesa AZ.

As of February 2016 RXfitness pros a thriving San Diego personal training business has expanded its practice to the beautiful state of Arizona. We hope to rapidly become Mesa Arizona’s best personal training and nutritional business before the end of 2016. We are working diligently on developing a presence in Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert Arizona. We have networked with a few credible gyms in the area and are building clients and popularity day by day. The new website Everybitfitaz.com should be completed by the first of April and ready to launch.

We feel the resident of Arizona are is great need of credible and knowledgeable personal trainers and nutritionists. Every bit fit Mesa Arizona’s personal training and nutrition experts will provided the same quality service that Southern Californian’s received, such as quality weight loss programs, medical exercise training, functional fitness training for seniors, and sports conditioning for aspiring athletes.

Stay tuned for the launch of our new website and more great information that you can count on. For more information about our services and what we can offer you please email us at Everybitfitaz@gmail.com

Want lasting and abrupt weight loss, then skip the gym and hit the great outdoors. As a Personal trainer here in San Diego and Orange County California, I have worked with literally hundreds of clients over th span of my career. Many come to me because they struggle to nail down the proper fitness program and lose unwanted body fat. I have composed a list of cardio gym equipment that you typically see in a gym. Some work and others don’t.

1. Treadmills –

2. Stepmills –

3. Elliptical Trainers

4. Stationary Bikes

5. Recumbent Bikes –

6. Rowers –

The common denominator is all these cardio apparatus are boring to do, so gyms have attached TV sets, or integrated a Blue Tooth to a big TV set for everyone to view. This causes the masses to lolligag and drape themselves over the cardio machine as if they are quadriplegic! People focus more on the visual stimuli than the actual cardio workout. Crazy but true!

All these cardio machines run on caloric burn algorithms which embellish caloric expenditure. Compared to may expensive and accurate Polar Heart Rate monitor. I have found a 27-40% margin of error with these machines. Your living the lie if you record the true values in your training diary.

Conversely, doing high intensity cardio training like Spinning, Kettlebells, Jump Roping, and Boxing will amp up your cardio thresholds. If being in the gym is where you need to be, then implement these tried and true cardio movements. Forlorn the other crap!

In my opinion, getting outdoors and running, cycling and swimming is what is all about. This is real life sports related cardio that will put you up against the wall with aerobic threshold training. From a personal perspective, I have gently transitioned from doing an average of 9 hours of gym cardio per week, to road biking 4-7 hours per week. The results are a whopping 25 pound of weight loss over a 3 month period, and far less boredom than being in the gym. Now it is a given that everyone is different and results could vary from person to person. However it is important to look at this contrast in training regimen.

I still do my 5 day per week of strength training, but the only difference is the quality of cardio. My hypothesis is greater attention to the actual cardio and better results. Plus its easier to gauge improvements in running, biking or cycling performance, through time improvements and decrease in exertion as fitness builds.

Moreover, I have seen many clients that integrate outdoor running and cycling programs lose a ton of weight compared to other clients who simply glue themselves to elliptical trainers for an hour or so per workout!

Something to think about. Besides, isn’t it nice to get out doors when the weather is nice? Here in So Cal we have no excuse because we pretty much have perfect weather year round.

I have been a personal trainer in San Diego since 1999, and I can say with conviction that its Sugar in the diet that leads to weight loss failure. Not so much mega caloric intake. Its more about energy balance of nutrients and the affect on the pancreas and liver. What I have seen repeatedly is massive weight loss when people titrate down off the simple sugar carbohydrates. This is the sensible diet folks.

Sugar has a profound impact on your health and wellness. Here are ten situations you may encounter if you don’t give it up! I personally feel it has no place in the diet of the lay person who doesn’t expend enough energy each day to use it as a proper fuel source. if your an endurance athlete and require some pre workout priming before your long 5 hour bike training ride then i believe a modicum of simple carbs is reasonable. For those who rarely workout, then its best to filter out as much sugar in your diet. Proteins and good fats can be very satisfying. Give them a chance!

Diabetes:

New research has show that sugar itself contributes to diabetes more than just being obese. So perhaps you may want to ditch the sugary sodas!

Impaired Learning and Memory: A major study conducted at UCLA has show that a diet high in fructose corn syrup can impair the ability to learn and remember. Versus a diet high in omega-3 can reduce the damage.

Tooth decay: Maintaining an intake of less than 5% sugars in your diet will help you avoid cavities!

Asthma: in a 2012 Australian study of children who consumed half a liter of soft drinks or more, they found a correlation to the sugar consumption and Asthma and or COPD.

Cardiac Disease: We have recently learned that sugar has an inflammatory affect of the lumen of blood vessels therefore leading to atherosclerosis. Studies have showed that those who consumed 25% of there diet in sugar doubled there risk for heart disease!

Bad Gut Flora: High sugar ingestion weakens the good cut flora which control immunity and digestion. The end result in inflammation and a host of GI diseases.

Obesity: Numerous clinical studies have well defined the link between sugar sweetened beverages and weight gain with children. Now the obesity center has redefined there guidelines for recommended intake of these drinks!

Cancer: Big correlation between sugar consumption and high risk for ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and esophageal cancer. Sugar leads to getting fat which has a direct correlation with cancers.

Hypercholesterolemia: Researchers at Emory University have found that sugar consumption leads to an increase in bad LDL cholesterol.

Aging Effect: The advent of glycation. This is when the sugar binds with amino acid molecules. The end result is the premature aging of our skin. One of many factors that represent the aging process.

So with all this information in mind isn’t it more than enough to inspire the deletion of sugar from the diet? I really don’t see and benefit to having it in my diet. From a personal perspective, i don’t appreciate the hypoglycemic spikes that occur when consumed leading to lethargy and fatigue. Its just not worth it! Below is a GREAT video and must watch if you want more detail about the problems with sugar. Enjoy!

For more information on Rx Fitness Pros and what we, click on the link. Rxfitnesspros or call 760-271-3064

I just viewed the most profound video on Facebook which spurred this post The video portrays the evolution of heart disease and the causative effects of bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle from early childhood until adulthood. A shocking video, so watch at your own risk. The video spurred some emotion in me as my company, RXFitnesspros has a plethora of young to middle age clients with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and orthopedic issues. Many of them have undergone Coronary Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery,have had strokes (CVA) and or on copious amounts of medicines to try to stabilize there particular health issue. Unfortunately taking prescription meds often come with a big price. Lots of side effects leading to lethargy, depression, low libido and weight gain. Is this the life you signed up for?

Unfortunately, early heart disease is a grim reality which todays youth are now facing. Consuming processed foods laden with high sugar, fat, sodium and cholesterol is a huge problem. The youth of today are making almost no effort to eat clean and healthy. They claim to be too busy. Is this the sign of progress or regression in America?

According to the American Heart Association 787,000 Americans died from Heart disease or stroke in 2011, That’s equivalent to 1 out of every 3 deaths in America. About 2,150 Americans die every day from heart disease or about 1 person every 40 seconds.. Sad but true, cardiovascular disease claims more lives than all types of cancers combined..

How can RXfitnesspros help? Improve health related problems and amelioration of them through properly prescribed diet and exercise is what we do. And we do it well. To find out how we can help you improve your current medical issues contact us at 760-271-3064 or send us an inquiry through the RXFitnesspros website.

As a 50 plus year old San Diego personal trainer, I can can say with conviction, that the human body requires more maintenance in its 50s than in our 40s and 30s. Like a car that has lots of mileage on the odometer, some intervention and big changes need to take place. It’s a must for those who live a sedentary lifestyle, as well as those who are very physically active such as myself.

If you are sedentary the ramifications occur primarily form an internal body systems perspective. One gains physical fat weight, damaging the liver, heart, kidneys and pancreas. the medical ramifications can entail high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, cancer and osteoarthritis. For more information check out the research on the most comprehensive study on medical risk factors leading to death. The Framingham Study Moreover the human joints suffer the massive assault of arthritis from carrying around excess weight in the form of fat. All these debilitating situations will lead to a very uncomfortable lifestyle, often accompanied by pain, disability and depression. It really doesn’t have to be that way with a proper shift in your mindset. knowledge is power!

The second scenario, I see quite often, which is the physically abused athlete who has trained improperly or excessively dangerous. Example your triathletes, marathoners and ultra distance athletes. Too much fanatical levels of exercise has a bone crushing joint compromising deleterious effect. the end result is unstable joints, chronic pain and eventual migration to the wheel chair at an earlier age than your sedentary counterparts. I personally have experienced the ramifications of overtraining, until I finally saw the light and made some abrupt changes. I spent 12 years as a competitive Ironman triathlete. Yes, this San Diego personal trainer is subject to orthopedic health problems too!

Exercise is about maintenance of structure and function in all planes of movements, frontal, saggital and transverse planes. This is how human beings work. many studies have show that doing on specific form of exercise in a single plane does more harm than good on the human body. the end result is muscle imbalance and compromised joints. At RXfitnesspros, we condition human bodies in all planes and focus on your areas of weakness.

Now is the time to focus on patching the leaky boat and keep your bodies healthy strong and functional for the next 40 years of your life. For the athlete too! Life is about balance and keeping all body systems in homeostasis.

At Rxfitnesspros.com we work with a plethora of human beings, who chose to climb out of their personal doldrums and make something better at their physical lives. We are here to guide, educate and integrate a new lifestyle that you can live with forever. Life is too short to allow yourself to fall apart.. For more information about what we do and what we can do for you go to RXfitnesspros.com or call 760-271-3064